Brigham Young University chef wins NACUFS 2025 Culinary Challenge

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – Chef Ruth Dubon of Brigham Young University has been named the first-place winner of the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) 2025 Culinary Challenge, held Tuesday evening at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of the NACUFS 2025 National Conference. 

Representing the continental region, Dubon, sous chef at BYU, won first place and received an American Culinary Federation (ACF) gold medal for her chicken and liver ballotine with fried chicken liver, sauteed red Swiss chard and savory bread pudding. After completing her dish Tuesday night, Dubon expressed happiness even before knowing she had won.

“I’m very happy—I poured my heart out, and I’m just so happy to see everyone I know here supporting me,” Dubon said. “I elevated my dish from regions so I just gave it the best I could.”

Matteo Sogne, emcee of the 2025 Culinary Challenge and owner of Matteo Ristorante Italiano in Salt Lake City, noted it was “very brave to do a ballotine in an hour,” due to the labor-intensive process.

“I feel very happy for what I did,” Dubon replied. “And I’m already a winner because I made it through it.”

In second place, Chef Jason Hilgers of Northwestern University also took an ACF gold medal for his pan-roasted herb chicken with onion raisin chicken liver, braised chicken leg with lentil and arugula, crispy chicken skin with frisee herb salad, and a white port chicken jus. Taking yet another ACF gold medal and coming in third was Emily Getz from Penn State University for her “dirty rice” buttermilk fried chicken. Johnathan Harthorn from Oregon State University earned fourth place and an ACF silver medal, Darin Keithley from the University of North Texas received fifth place and a silver medal, and William Reardon from Fairfield University also took home an ACF silver.

The NACUFS Culinary Challenge was created in 2001 and recognizes the extensive culinary expertise within collegiate foodservice. Competitors are challenged to use the same base protein—this year, a whole fresh chicken and 1 pound of chicken liver—to build an original dish in one hour’s time, forming a nutritionally balanced plate, including starch, vegetables and sauce. Plates are judged based on a 100-point scale assessing organization, cooking skills, culinary technique and taste.

More than 30 collegiate chefs from around the country competed in six regional contests during March and April at the NACUFS 2025 Spring Conference Series, each winner advancing to the final. ACF judges are on hand at all competitions to judge and provide feedback, making each event a valuable learning experience for all competitors. The NACUFS 2025 Culinary Challenge winner receives a trophy, cash prize, recognition at the NACUFS 2025 National Conference and in the official NACUFS magazine, as well as the opportunity to compete to become the ACF Chef of the Year.

The 2025 Culinary Challenge was sponsored by Sysco, Cintas, and Perdue Foodservice. Learn more online at www.NACUFS.org/Awards/CulinaryChallenge.